Coonoor: The country prayed for the well-being and safety of India’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat and others involved in a horrifying helicopter accident on Wednesday afternoon.
An Army chopper carrying the CDS, his wife and members of his staff including some senior officers crashed in the Nilgiri mountains, near Coonoor in Tamil Nadu.
“An IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter, with CDS Gen Bipin Rawat on board, met with an accident today near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu. An Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.” Indian Air Force tweeted.
According to media reports, Gen Rawat and three others were shifted to a hospital with burn injuries.
NDTV quoted Nilgiris district collector as saying that four persons have been killed, without specifying their identities.
The helicopter was flying from Sulur Airbase to Wellington, and was scheduled to reach its destination 15 minutes later.
Eye witnesses said the copter descended in a ball of smoke and landed in the hilly terrain. The helicopter was reduced to a mangle of steel, with visuals of the wreckage amid the billowing smoke presenting a gloomy picture.
Search and rescue operations are still underway at the crash site.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh is likely to update Parliament on the latest situation.
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